Electrophorus Electricus (EE) is know to its discharge electric voltage pauses through multiple organs based on Reversible Membrane Potential (RMP) [see reference 1-2]. Piccolino et al summarized John Wash's studies in electric fish [see reference 3]. Nowadays, researchers are increasingly interested in study of the electric fish and seek a nature inspired way to develop more efficient energy converting devices by developing artificial electric fishes [see reference 4-6]. The article mimicked the biological cell's ion channel functions [see reference 4], or mimicked electric fish's electroreceptive capabilities to find a target without seeing at the deep underwater [see reference 5]. However, there is an important area in multiple-organ discharge that mimics the EE fish's RMP have not been pursued. The EE discharges a small potential at the head, namely Hunter's organ for prey food and also discharges a high voltage at the tail organ, namely Sach for defense purpose. The multiple organ discharge function is based on the RMP. The #1 goal of this invention is to develop an Electron-Relay (ER) prototype supercapacitor that mimics Electrophorus Electricus's reversible membrane potential for multiple-organ discharge under Double-Layer Potential (DLP) negligible, oxygen-independent and electrolyte-independent conditions. The rationale of these settled conditions are based on the needs of many patients who suffer from unbalanced axon action/resting potential due to dysfunction of Ion-channel or ATP pump dysfunction, such as Trauma Brain Injury (TBI), various cancer diseases and chronic illness, such as diabetes. We design an energy platform device without electrolyte-dependence and with minimum DLP that will simplify and eliminate the error source contributions from the device membrane. Air-dependent is common for most nature enzymes; however, it can create a problem of CO2 emission in a closed compartment of underwater vehicles if a nature enzyme used as the source of an energy device. Therefore, using an air-independent nanostructure biomimetic membrane electrode assembling will offer advantages for accomplishing the goal.
Power sources for ammunitions have strict requirements for high rate high energy storage, and especially demands a high Ammunition Gravimetric Energy (AGE) at the first 10 s in the value of 1 kJ/kg energy level [see reference 7]. Current ammunition systems are heavy and occupy large volumes. There is an urgent need to fulfill the US Army's ammunition's demands. Therefore, development of high rate high energy storage devices is critical to support the Army. E. Chen's group recently reported a break-through approach: using an electrolyte-free and air-independent nanobiomimetic membrane electrode assembling (NBMEA) to overcome the drawbacks from conventional approaches and the results with high power density and energy density were reported [see reference 8-9]. However, transferring from a laboratory three-electrode half cell device to a two-electrode prototype device, was blocked by the short discharge time and slow discharge rate. The discharge time was an order of magnitude shorter than 12 hrs in the 1.0 cm2 single cell, and several orders of magnitude shorter for the 0.5 cm2 control under the same experimental conditions reported in E. T. Chen group's works [see reference 8-9], which the Army's AGE and AVE specifications can not be met. The #2 goal of this invention is to develop innovative approaches that overcome the drawbacks and create new prototype Battcells that offer a magnitude increase in performance compared with the controls and provide a means to offer high rate high energy storage device that fulfills the unmet needs.